In 1996, Hasbro decided that it was time to take Transformers in a new direction with their new Beast Wars toy line. Rather than rehash the same characters from G1, as they did in G2, Hasbro introduced fans to a brand new cast with new alternate modes. Rather than featuring Optimus Prime and Megatron from the past, Optimus Primal and a new Megatron led the troops. Beyond the new cast, the most defining trait of this line was the organic animal alternate modes, contrasting the mechanical vehicle alternate modes of the prior toy lines.